European Commission adopts EU-wide restriction on DMAC and NEP
According to Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/1090, Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation has been amended to include new entries 80 and 81, introducing restrictions on N,N-Dimethylacetamide (DMAC) and 1-Ethylpyrrolidin-2-one (NEP).
These new restrictions are aimed at enhancing worker health protection by requiring industries to ensure that, after the transitional period, occupational exposure levels to these substances remain below the specified Derived No-Effect Levels (DNELs). DMAC and NEP are used in industrial settings and by professionals as solvents in the formulation of mixtures, for example, in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. DMAC is also used as a solvent in coatings and is extensively used in the production of man-made fibres and films, and during the production of polyamideimide enamels (varnishes) used for electrical wire insulation. NEP is applied in cleaning agents and as a binder and a release agent. NEP is also used in oil field drilling and production operation processes, in functional fluids, in polymer processing, in water treatment, as an excipient in agrochemicals, and road and construction applications. Both substances are used as laboratory agents.
Next EU-wide REACH enforcement project on the safe use of chemicals in workplaces
The Forum for Exchange of Information on Enforcement is a network of authorities responsible for the enforcement of the REACH, CLP, PIC, POP and Biocidal Product regulations. The Forum coordinates various enforcement projects, one of the main ones being the REACH-EN-FORCE (REF) projects.
As part of the next EU-level enforcement project (REF-15), inspectors will check safe use information in safety data sheets and ensure that risk management measures recommended in them are implemented in the workplace. The project will include checking that companies with authorization to use a substance of very high concern apply the required conditions. Controls will also cover the use of certain restricted hazardous substances for which special conditions apply for use in the workplace (e.g. diisocyanates, NMP, DMF). Inspections will take place in 2027, and the report is planned for 2028.
China Coating Standard Update — GB30981
On May 30, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration jointly issued National Standard Announcement No. 12 of 2025, updating the new version of the paint standard GB 30981.1-2025 (Part 1: Architectural Paints) and GB 30981.2-2025 (Part 2: Industrial Paints). The standard will take effect on June 1, 2026, replacing multiple standards related to coatings.
Key points of the new standard:
- Expanding the regulation scope to include accessory materials such as curing agents, paint removers;
- Lowering VOC limits, bringing in new VOC requirements for certain types of coatings;
- Introducing new restrictions for multiple harmful substances;
- Setting stricter limits on harmful substances for special-purpose coatings.
US EPA postpones TSCA PFAS reporting by nine months
The US EPA has delayed the start of its TSCA PFAS reporting requirements and indicated it plans to reopen and modify the rule be-fore submissions begin next year.
The reporting window, previously set to open on 11 July, will now run from 13 April to 13 October 2026, with a deadline of October 2027 for some small article importers, according to an interim final rule announced today.
Finalized in 2023 under TSCA Section 8(a)(7), the PFAS reporting rule requires one-time submissions documenting companies' use of some 1,460 PFAS chemicals dating from 2011 to the end of 2022.
The nine-month reporting delay would give the EPA more time to incorporate comments and to "finalize any modifications to the rule before the submission period begins".
ECHA adds 3 hazardous chemicals to the Candidate List
Helsinki, 25 June 2025, ECHA added 3 hazardous chemicals to the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) now contains 250 entries for chemicals that can harm people or the environment. Companies are responsible for managing the risks of these chemicals and giving customers and consumers information on their safe use.
The relevant information of the 3 new substances is as follows:
| Substance Name |
CAS No. |
EC No. |
Reason for inclusion |
Examples of uses |
| 1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyl-3-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]trisiloxane |
17928-28-8 |
241-867-7 |
vPvB |
Used as a laboratory reagent, in cosmetics and personal care products and perfumes and fragrances |
| Decamethyltetrasiloxane |
141-62-8 |
205-491-7 |
vPvB |
Used in cosmetics and personal care products, in lubricants and greases and in automotive care products |
| tetra(sodium/potassium) 7-[(E)-{2-acetamido-4-[(E)-(4-{[4-chloro-6-({2-[(4-fluoro-6-{[4-(vinylsulfonyl)phenyl]amino}-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl)amino]propyl}amino)-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl]amino}-5-sulfonato-1-naphthyl)diazenyl]-5-methoxyphenyl}diazenyl]-1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate(Reactive Brown 51) |
-- |
466-490-7 |
Toxic for reproduction |
Used in textile treatment products and dyes |